Sunday, January 14, 2018

2018 Reading Resolution

Let’s talk about books! Last year I set my goal on Goodreads
to read at least 75. Halfway through the year, I realized I was reading too
fast and upped my goal to 100. I ended up reading 109. Whoops.
So I accidentally completed one of
the goals on my bucket list in reading 100 books in one year.

This year, instead of challenging myself further, I’m
actually going to cut back. That’s not to say I won’t read a ton, but the
pressure to read 75+ books is actually incredibly overwhelming. That’s at least
a book-and-a-half a week, and once you set the goal to 100, that’s a book
nearly every three days. While possible, I want to set aside time for those
difficult (*cough* boring *cough*) books.

So instead of a goal involving the number of books, I’ll be
setting a goal involving the type of books I want to read. Then I’ll take those
types, add them up, and set it as my goal on Goodreads because I like seeing
the book collection and statistics at the end of the year.

1) At least one
poetry collection. (Not a novel in verse.)

A while back, I wrote a post on The Importance of Poetry. It wasn’t until college that I really discovered the joys of reading and
writing poems because before then, I hadn’t found any that I particularly
liked. Since then, I have been making an effort to create more poetry, as is
evidence from the whole page I have on poetry and my monthly poems.

Last year, I finished a short collection, Ode to London and started reading Walt
Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. I can’t
say I actually finished the latter, but it’s still on my shelf, waiting for me.

2) Two rereads.

I enjoy visiting my local library, but I also like buying
books. If a particular story stuck with me, or was indie published and I wanted
to support the author, I’ll go out and buy the book. That and I just like
books. But what’s the pointing in owning a bunch of books I once enjoyed, only
to never read them again? There’s no point.

It’s time to endeavor to read books I’ve enjoyed so much that
I went out and bought a copy. Just a couple I’m currently eyeing include Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire. I know I just read them
a couple summers ago, but they’re sooooo good!

3) Three nonfiction
books.

My brother isn’t much of a reader, but when he does read, he
sure shows me up on reading nonfiction. While I insist on reading about dragons
and con artists because I find them interesting, my brother would pick up books
on wherever we’d be traveling next so he could give an accurate report on his vlog. I may not read the same types of books, but I don’t just want to read fiction.

For this goal, I will not be counting poetry or plays, even
though they’re sorted with the nonfiction section at the library. No, I’ll be
looking for something more along the lines of a biography or a how-to. Just a
couple books on my To-Be-Read List include The
Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, In
a Different Key: The Story of Autism, and The Art of War.

4) Four classics.
(Hey, I’m sensing a pattern!)

Books written within the last 100 years are fun to read, but
classics can be too, even though some have been written within the last 100
years. (Can we just establish what a classic is, exactly? I’ve been wondering
about this definition for years. What determines if a book is a classic or not?
Perhaps another post for another time.)

Sometimes I’m baffled by the types of books that became
classics. I didn’t care for The Great
Gatsby. And I still don’t understand what is going on in TheSound
and the Fury. Honestly, I don’t understand most American literature.
English literature all the way! I may or may not be biased…

That being said, many times, classics tend to surprise me. I
go into the book usually knowing nothing about it, and there I find a wonderful
story.

5) Five
indie-published books.

As an indie author myself, I figure it’s only fair to read
what other indie authors have written. And some of those books can be amazing,
let’s be honest. My favorite indie-published book I read last year being Where the Woods Grow Wild by Nate
Philbrick. The narrative swept me away, and I forgot that I was even
reading so I finished the book in two days.

A couple indie books I am particularly looking forward to
include The Beast of Talesend by Kyle
Robert Shultz and Embassy by S. Alex
Martin.

6) One book published
before 1800. (Die, pattern!)

Yes, I realize 1800 is a very specific date. But most of the
books I’ve been reading since I’ve graduated from grad school are recent
releases. The latest books are important, I won’t deny it, especially for those
interesting in publishing. It’s good to know the latest trends. But the old
books are important too. They laid the groundwork for fiction as we know it
today. It would be a shame to ignore them.

I’m currently trying to work up the courage to check out Le Morte d’Arthur. I wrote an essay on
the first book when I was studying for my MA, and I checked out like,
four different copies and decided to bike with them all AT ONCE. Never again. Le Morte MY ARMS.

7) One book over
1,000 pages long.

Cutting back on my ambitions, am I? Hmm, maybe not.

I thoroughly enjoy long books. There’s nothing like sitting
down with a volume you have to hold in two hands (or rest it on an
armrest/table?) and hope it doesn’t fall on your face when you’re lying on your
back. That and I like the idea that a good book will last longer than a week.

In 2016, it took me eight days to read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (1,006 pages). Yes, I know I’m
insane. But 100 pages a day is pretty manageable. Last year, it took me
two-and-a-half months to finish Les
Miserables (1,232 pages). How long do you think it will take me to finish War and Peace at approximately 1,392
pages?

In total, my goal this year is to read 17 books. Sure, I’ll
probably read more. But this year, I want to focus on the type of books I want
to read instead of the number. Quality over quantity.

Let’s chat! Do you have any bookish New Year’s resolutions?
What’s your goal for reading this year? Are there any book types you want to
read more of?

Hey that's really cool how you have specific goals for what kind of books you want to read!! I generally just say "read x amount" 😂 Although this year I've specified 20 rereads, but we'll see how I go!? I have a horrible habit of making goals and ignoring them for the entire year.😂 Anyway GOOD LUCK!!